Korean word

눈인사

Pronunciation

Romanizationnuninsa

Meaning

  • noungreeting with a glance

Example

수업이 끝나자 학생들이 선생님께 눈인사로 인사했다.su eo bi kkeun na ja hak ssaeng deu ri seon saeng nim kke nu nin sa ro in sa haet tta

When class ended, the students greeted their teacher with a glance.

Illustration for 눈인사 (greeting with a glance)

More examples

지하철에서 모르는 사람과 짧게 눈인사 를 나눴다.chi ha cheo re seo mo reu neun sa ram gwa jjal kke nu nin sa reul na nwot tta

I exchanged a brief greeting through eye contact with a stranger on the subway.

Core concept

A silent social hello carried by briefly meeting someone's eyes.

Common phrases

  • 가벼운 눈인사ka byeo un nu nin sa

    a light greeting with a glance

  • 눈인사 로 인사를 나누다nu nin sa ro in sa reul na nu da

    exchange greetings with a glance

Similar words

눈짓nunjit: A brief gesture that communicates a message through the eyes or face.
눈맞춤nunmatchum: Two people looking directly into each other's eyes.
윙크wingkeu: A brief signal made by closing one eye.

Definition in Korean

상대와 눈을 마주치거나 시선을 건네어 짧게 안부나 인사를 전하는 명사sang dae wa nu neul ma ju chi geo na si seo neul keon ne eo jjal kke an bu na in sa reul cheon ha neun myeong sa

Word origin

The word is a Korean compound of the words for eye and greeting, showing that the greeting is delivered through the eyes rather than speech.

Usage tips

  • It is useful when people are close enough to recognize each other but a spoken greeting would interrupt the situation, such as across a classroom.

Opposites

Related words

  • 눈인사하다nuninsahadagreet with a glanceverb

Word lists with this word